nav2

Bovina Road bridge reopened after flood repair

By Cheryl Petersen
There was good news at the Bovina Town Board’s regular meeting last week. The bridge on Bovina Road has been re-opened and water rates for commercial property owners will decrease in 2014. The council also selected new carpet for the stage flooring at the Bovina Community Hall and celebrated retiring Councilman Charles McIntosh’s 16 years of service on the board.
“On behalf of the Town of Bovina, I would like to thank you for serving our town for 16 years, and especially the last 12 years that I have served with you,” Supervisor Tina Mole said to McIntosh before giving him a plaque. “Thank you for being there and working with me on the septic project, the wind tower issue, and the building of our new highway garage, to name only a few jobs.”

Enjoyed board work
McIntosh replied, “It was an honor to serve. The board has balanced the budget; Tina has gathered impressive grant monies to help Bovina with many major projects. Gerald has brought his business management perspective, and council elect, Ken Brown, will be an experienced addition to the board. Politics has not changed for the best and I will return to the meetings as a community member with the hope that we all spend time doing what is nice and pleasant.”
Highway Superintendent Ed Weber was out with the road crew plowing and sanding roads, but submitted reports. “The bridge on Bovina Road has been re-opened,” said Supervisor Mole. The bridge was closed a year and half ago from flood damage. The guardrails are three inches too low and an engineer and the construction company are looking for a solution to raise the railing.

Receives loan
“The town has secured a temporary loan of $200,000 to pay for the bridge repairs,” said Mole. “The short-term bond will close December 12, 2013 and be reimbursed by FEMA at a later date.”
As for the problem of a “settling office” at the new highway building, Delaware County Public Works Director Wayne Reynolds, has researched the issue to make recommendations for repairs. “The repairs will be substantial and I will bring the recommendations before the board for review as soon as we receive them,” said Mole. Council Mark Rossley asked for confirmation that the sewer line was sound.
New York City contracted with the Town of Bovina to pay $59,545.84 as their portion of the sewer costs for the year 2014.
The council approved Ed Weber’s request of a uniform allowance for part-time employee Jim Jacksto, a mechanic. The Town of Bovina employees are not union members and the board checks monthly that all employees are being covered by health insurance.
Last spring new water meters, paid for by the Catskill watershed Corporation, were placed at commercial properties in the Hamlet of Bovina, gauging precise water usage. “Results show the commercial businesses use significantly less water than the estimated rates assessed in the past,” said Mole. “This new data allows us to reduce the water bills for commercial properties.”